Linnea is a doll based on the character from the 1987 book "Linnea in Monet's Garden", illustrated by Lena Anderson...
...about a little Swedish girl and her elderly friend, Mr. Bloom, who take a trip to Paris to see the paintings of Monet, and to Giverny, to see Monet's real garden that was the subject of so many of his paintings.(I'll say! How many paintings did this guy do of his lily pond? Did he not get out much or what?)
This version of Linnea is 11" tall, but there was also a 17" version. |
The book introduces children to Monet, and impressionist art.
She should also have a straw hat. Mine is missing hers. |
There are also smaller Linnea dolls.These are 6" tall.
I love little cloth dolls. I actually have these, but my version of the first one is missing her apron/smock, and the third one has loaned her pants to a Tutti and Todd friend I made from a Peter Paniddle head and a Tutti body.The clothes are a perfect fit. You can see my post on small cloth character dolls,including my tiny Linneas, HERE. |
Nahh...maybe not.
Monet began painting the water lillies in 1899. He painted 250 paintings of the water lily pond.
Oscar-Claude Monet was born in Paris France in 1840, and died in 1926. He was part of the impressionist movement. In fact, Impressionism gets it's name from the Claude Monet painting Impression, soleil levant,(Impression, Sunrise).
Impressionism is described by Wikipedia thus: "Impressionist painting characteristics include relatively small, thin, yet visible brush strokes, open composition, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating the effects of the passage of time), ordinary subject matter, inclusion of movement as a crucial element of human perception and experience, and unusual visual angles."
Linnea was so popular that several products bearing her likeness were produced, including the dolls, doll clothes,puzzles, and the book "Linnea's Almanac". |
More than once the theme of the flower show at Chicago's Marshall Fields store, (Now Macy's), was Linnea in Monet's Garden. Scenes from the book were recreated as amazing window displays.
I wonder whatever happened to the wonderful figures created for these displays. They probably ended up in some dumpster. They should have donated them to a library or children's art museum. |
All the flowers and other plants in the window displays were real. |
Tomorrow we'll conclude soft dolls week.
The smock, apron is called a pinafore! She’s so lovely!
ReplyDelete